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Animals R AMAZING! said:
Do you have more details about the remaining 6 (i.e. names, genders, parents, birthyears, etc.)?
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Sure.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
1.0 Cofan 10/10/2003

Los Angeles Zoo
0.1 Inca 8/9/1997
1.0 Mochi 1/30/1999
1.0 Manuel 4/15/2002
1.0 Sergio 5/13/2005
1.0 Mojito 9/9/2007

I was also wrong about them all being half siblings. They are all full siblings from the pairing of 1.0 Mescal 1/9/1983 and 0.1 Midori 6/22/1988. There is also one full sister 0.1 Sedona 5/7/2000 at the Cali Zoo in Colombia.
 
Neil chace said:
Would it theoretically be possible to import more in to start a breeding program, presuming there was enough interest?
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Theoretically? Yes. There are reasons why zoos haven't done it yet, though. Each import would cost tens of thousands of dollars in transport alone, and regulations (CITES permits for both export and import) would take months to plow through, but it's possible. To develop a sustainable population, you'd also need to import several, preferably from a few different locations to maximize genetic diversity. A bigger challenge is that there probably isn't the interest for it. Outside of a few facilities, this is a species which doesn't have the best track record in zoos, both in range and out of range (an Ecuadorian zoologist I'm friends with was very surprised to learn that we had any mountain tapirs in US zoos - all of the zoos he had been to in Ecuador only have Baird's). Each mountain tapir imported would eat up a holding space that could go to a Baird's tapir, which the TAG is primarily focused on.
 
First and foremost any population would require several individuals captured from the wild. This is not always the safest process and whats the return on this? Having a small captive population without much institutional support. I think its best American zoos keep the 2 species of tapir that have SSP’s and use them as ambassadors for all tapirs. Mountain tapir need more conservation measures yet that can be done in there native range.
 
A lot of points reiterate this but this goes for nearly any species that have low populations in zoos.
1. There needs to be interest in enough zoos to sustain a healthy population. Even 20 years ago, only CMZ and LA were breeding this species and the other holders quickly dropped the species. We would need a significant amount of interest before bringing in more animals even becomes a thought.
2. There is an absurdly small genetic base for the species in captivity. With all remaining individuals in the US a part of the same bloodline, probably about a dozen plus animals would need to be imported to even try and breed them again.
3. There is very little cooperation between the native countries of mountain tapirs and US zoos to bring in animals. For example, Ecuador is extremely protective of their biological resources (look at the Galapagos) and the government has very little interest in exporting to the US for what the government mostly sees as no help to the survival of the species in their native range.
I love this species and have personally been involved in their conservation efforts but the reality of the situation is that there is no future for this species in captivity aside from a few rescues in it's native range. If you still have not seen a mountain tapir, I would suggest getting to CMZ or LA as soon as possible because these last 6 aging animals are all we are going to have in the US.
 
Aardwolf said:
Theoretically? Yes. There are reasons why zoos haven't done it yet, though. Each import would cost tens of thousands of dollars in transport alone, and regulations (CITES permits for both export and import) would take months to plow through, but it's possible. To develop a sustainable population, you'd also need to import several, preferably from a few different locations to maximize genetic diversity. A bigger challenge is that there probably isn't the interest for it. Outside of a few facilities, this is a species which doesn't have the best track record in zoos, both in range and out of range (an Ecuadorian zoologist I'm friends with was very surprised to learn that we had any mountain tapirs in US zoos - all of the zoos he had been to in Ecuador only have Baird's). Each mountain tapir imported would eat up a holding space that could go to a Baird's tapir, which the TAG is primarily focused on.
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I am surprised as I know that several zoos in Peru and Ecuador run rascue programs for native and resident Mountain tapir. I think it would be more relevant to ship out the Mountain tapirs to S.America (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia) and set up a local ex situ program.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I am surprised as I know that several zoos in Peru and Ecuador run rascue programs for native and resident Mountain tapir. I think it would be more relevant to ship out the Mountain tapirs to S.America (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia) and set up a local ex situ program.
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I visited a few rescue facilities and zoos down there, none of them said that they'd ever worked with the species. As to the US mountain tapirs, as old as all of those animals are, I think from a welfare perspective it would be best just to let them retire in the US rather than go through the stress of shipment.
 
I personally can cite 2 cases one calf Esperanza in Antisana Napo and a male mountain tapir calf in Pasochoa that have both been rescued as calves and rehabilitated in Ecuador. This has been in the 2010's.

Further, I would discount the claim that all tapirs in zoos in the region are Baird's. The species is Meso American and any other tapir species in western S. America would be lowlands or Karibuni.
 
What is certain the potential relevance of an ex situ program in the Altiplano and cordillera region cloud forest arc to long term survival of the species a captive breeding component would be key and a focal point for in situ conservation!

Mountain tapirs have been rescued in several facilities with projects dealing with cloud forest conservation. Although, this has been away from the main zoo community it does not mean they do not exist or have existed.
 
Don't know what to tell you. I only went to one zoo down there that had tapirs at the time of my visit and they were Baird's (I was expecting lowland, so it was a surprise. I had been hoping to see mountain tapir myself). My colleague in the Ministry of the Environment, which oversees zoos, told me that mountains weren't really kept there, which isn't to say never. Looking at Species360 I do see there are a decent number of lowlands there, too, so it's possible that he meant lowland tapirs while we were standing in front of, and talking about, Baird's, as part of a translation error.
 
Adventuredl said:
Mountain Tapirs are a phase out species by the AZA. The consensus is letting Europe handle the species.
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Yeah no, if the facilities that currently have the species can no longer keep them, there is absolutely no hope in starting up a completely new program for all the reasons I mentioned above.
 
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